I write to request nominations for the Chancellor’s Award for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and/or Transgender (GLBT) Leadership. This award recognizes contributions to the advancement of the GLBT communities at UCSF. The nomination form, award criteria, and a list of prior recipients are available online. Three individuals—one faculty/academic, one staff, and one student/resident/postdoctoral scholar—will be selected to receive this award at a special ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2011. Individuals who meet one or more of the award criteria—whether or not they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender—are eligible to be nominated.

Like many of you, I was greatly saddened to hear the news of the earthquake that struck Japan’s coast, triggering a tsunami that devastated northern parts of the country and put a related warning in effect for much of the Pacific. The subsequent nuclear power plant explosions have compounded this crisis, making it the worst natural disaster the country has seen in its recorded history.